Method, system and program for testing accessibility in data processing system programs

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of accessability testing for data processing system program programs, and more specifically to a data processing system implemented method, a data processing system and an article of manufacture for testing accessibility in data processing system programs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Software programs are being developed to take into consideration accessibility to the program for all individuals regardless of any disabilities. To provide a standard against which accessibility can be determined, accessibility checklists containing accessibility standards have been created. The accessibility of a software program is tested against these accessibility checklists. In the case of Java-based software programs this testing is often performed by a manual process using standard accessibility programs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a data processing system implemented method of testing accessibility of a data processing system program according to accessibility criteria, the data processing system program comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object of the plurality of objects usable as a user interface between the data processing system program and a user, the data processing system implemented method including identifying the at least one object of the data processing system program pertaining to the user interface, determining if the identified at least one object satisfies the accessibility criteria by examining an accessibility description for the identified at least one object, and producing an indication that the identified at least one object does not satisfy the accessibility criteria if the identified object does not contain an accessibility description.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided a data processing system for testing accessibility of a data processing system program according to accessibility criteria, the data processing system program comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object of the plurality of objects usable as a user interface between the data processing system program and a user, the data processing system including an identifier for identifying the at least one object of the data processing system program pertaining to the user interface a determinator for determining if the identified at least one object satisfies the accessibility criteria by examining an accessibility description for the identified at least one object, and a producer for producing an indication that the identified at least one object does not satisfy the accessibility criteria if the identified object does not contain an accessibility description.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention there is provided an article of manufacture for testing accessibility of a data processing system program according to accessibility criteria, the data processing system program comprising a plurality of objects, at least one object of the plurality of objects usable as a user interface between the data processing system program and a user, the article of manufacture including a data processing system usable medium adapted to tangibly embody data processing system executable code including data processing system executable code for identifying the at least one object of the data processing system program pertaining to the user interface, data processing system executable code for determining if the identified at least one object satisfies the accessibility criteria by examining an accessibility description for the identified at least one object, and data processing system executable code for producing an indication that the identified at least one object does not satisfy the accessibility criteria if the identified object does not contain an accessibility description.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in conjunction with the drawings in which:

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is an exemplary computing environment in which the present invention may be implemented;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref> illustrates operations a tool for accessibility testing for a Java-based program operating in the computing environment of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2B</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating accessibility testing of the tool of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating accessibility test reporting of the tool of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2D</figref> is a flow diagram illustrating class information displaying by the tool of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref>; and

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates functional components of a tool for testing accessibility of a Java-based program operating in the computing environment of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of the embodiments does not limit the implementation of the embodiments to any particular computer programming language. The computer program product may be implemented in any computer programming language provided that the operating system provides the facilities that support the requirements of the computer program product. A preferred embodiment is implemented in the C or C++ computer programming language (or may be implemented in other computer programming languages in conjunction with C/C++). Any limitations presented would be a result of a particular type of operating system, computer programming language, or data processing system and would not be a limitation of the embodiments described herein.

A Java-based program may be tested for accessibility according to accessibility criteria. The Java-based program comprises a plurality of objects, at least one of which pertains to a user interface therefor. The at least one object in the program pertaining to the user interface is identified. It is then determined if the identified object satisfies the accessibility criteria by examining an accessibility description for the identified object. The identified object does not satisfy the accessibility criteria when the identified object does not contain an accessibility description. If the identified object does not satisfy the accessibility criteria then an indication is produced that this occurred.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates a configuration of a computing environment <b>100</b> in which the present invention may be implemented.

A data processing system <b>110</b> in the computing environment <b>100</b> includes a central processing unit (CPU) <b>102</b>, a memory <b>104</b>, an input/output interface <b>106</b> and a bus <b>108</b>. The CPU <b>102</b>, the memory <b>104</b> and the input/output interface <b>106</b> are connected with one another via the bus <b>108</b>. The input/output interface <b>106</b> is configured so that it can be connected to an input/output unit <b>112</b>.

The present invention may be embodied in a program stored in, for example, the memory <b>104</b>. Alternatively, the present invention may be recorded on any type of recording medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. The present invention recorded on such a recording medium is loaded to the memory <b>104</b> of the computing environment <b>100</b> via the input/output unit <b>112</b> (e.g. a disk drive).

The CPU <b>102</b> can be a commercially available CPU or a customized CPU suitable for operations described herein. Other variations of CPU <b>102</b> can include a plurality of CPUs interconnected to coordinate various operations and functions. The computing environment <b>100</b> serves as an apparatus for performing the present method by the CPU <b>102</b> executing the present invention.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref> illustrates operations <b>200</b> of a tool for accessibility testing for a Java-based program operating in the computing environment of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The Java-based program may be stored in the memory <b>104</b> and processed by the CPU <b>102</b> during execution thereof. A user interface for the Java-based program with which a user may interact may be presented on the input/output unit <b>112</b> through the input/output interface <b>106</b>. The Java-based program also includes various interfaces through which external programs may interact therewith. These interfaces enable accessible programs to communicate and function with the Java-based programs. It is through these interfaces and the incorporation of the external programs that the Java-based program is made accessible. Since it is the accessibility interfaces of the Java-based program that enable the accessibility features, it is through these interfaces that a user interface presenting the accessible program is tested to determine whether the Java-based program can be considered to be accessible based on accessibility checklists.

The Java-based program comprises multiple objects that are instances of classes that may be related to each other through inheritance of classes or use of variables or functions from other classes. The classes on which the objects are based include classes that are used to create various components of the user interface (e.g. button, scroll bar, etc.). The accessibility interfaces in the Java-based program interact with these component classes to enable the external program to interact with various parts of the user interface.

Relationships between objects may be represented by a tree where each leaf or node of the tree represents an object and the branches represent the manner in which the objects are related. A tree can be used to represent the relationships between all of the objects in the Java-based program or only the component objects.

The tool is activated in step <b>202</b> when the Java-based program is started. The tree for all of the objects in the program is obtained in step <b>204</b>. The program tree may be obtained by the tool from the program, perhaps from an environment that is executing the Java-based program. The tree for the component classes is obtained in step <b>206</b>. The component classes tree may also be obtained by the tool from the program.

The accessibility information that is to be displayed is determined in step <b>208</b>. The accessibility information that is to be displayed may be selected by a user and may include performing testing of the accessibility of the object of the component classes and providing an indication of those objects that don't meet the standards; providing a summary of the test results; and displaying general relationship information for a component object.

If the Java-based program is to be tested for accessibility then the method in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2B</figref> is performed. If a summary of the accessibility test results is to be displayed then the method in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref> is performed. If information of the relationship of a particular component object with respect to other component objects in the program is to be displayed then the method in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2D</figref> is performed.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2B</figref> illustrates a method <b>220</b> of testing the accessibility of a component object in the Java-based program. All of the component objects in the Java-based program are related. These relationships may be illustrated by a tree composed only of the component objects. The component objects tree is traversed in the method <b>220</b> to test the accessibility of each component object therein. In the present case, accessibility of the Java-based program is determined on the basis of the component objects used therein. Each component object should contain an accessible name and an accessible description. The accessible name and the accessible description are used as a measure for accessibility.

The first node from the root in the component object tree is located in step <b>222</b>.

The component object associated with the current node is then examined in step <b>224</b> to determine if the component object includes an accessibility name and an accessibility description. If this is the first time that step <b>224</b> has been performed during the current execution of the method <b>220</b> then the current node is the first node located in step <b>222</b>, otherwise the current node is the node in the component objects tree that was most recently located. The presence of the accessibility name and the accessibility description determines whether or not the component object is considered to be accessible.

If the component object does not include an accessibility name and an accessibility description then an indication that the component object does not meet accessibility criteria is provided in step <b>226</b>. This indication may include providing a visual indication to the user that the component object of the current node does not meet accessibility criteria. After the indication is shown, or if the component object has an accessibility name and an accessibility description, then the accessibility description is obtained in step <b>228</b> and put aside for later use. Step <b>228</b> may be performed to gather information in anticipation of reporting accessibility information and accessibility test results for the Java-based program. Step <b>228</b> may not be performed if the testing time for the program is of consideration.

After step <b>228</b> the testing of the current node has been completed. In step <b>230</b> it is determined if there are any nodes in the component objects tree that have not been tested. If there are untested nodes then the next node in the component objects tree is determined in step <b>232</b>. After the next node is found steps <b>224</b> to <b>230</b> are repeated with this node. This cycle continues until all of the nodes in the component objects tree have been tested.

After it is determined in step <b>230</b> that all of the nodes in the component objects tree have been tested then control flow returns to the method <b>200</b> in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref> in step <b>234</b>.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref> illustrates a method <b>240</b> for reporting the results of accessibility testing of the Java-based program performed in the method <b>220</b>. It is determined in step <b>242</b> if the accessibility description for each component object has already been extracted. This may be performed by examining a data storage where a copy of accessibility description may have been deposited by the method <b>220</b>.

If the accessibility description for each component object has not been extracted then the first node from the root in the component objects tree is located in step <b>244</b>. The component objects tree is traversed in steps <b>246</b> to <b>250</b> to obtain the accessibility descriptions. The accessibility description is obtained from the component object of the current node in step <b>246</b> and retained with other accessibility description. In step <b>248</b> it is determined whether or not all nodes in the component objects tree have been examined to obtain the accessibility description. If not all nodes have been examined then the next node is found in step <b>250</b> and steps <b>246</b> and <b>248</b> are repeated with the new node.

If the accessibility descriptions have already been retained for the component objects (as determined in step <b>242</b>) then these accessibility descriptions are obtained in step <b>252</b> from storage. After all accessibility descriptions have been obtained (either from storage or the traversal of all nodes in the component objects tree in step <b>248</b>) then a list of all of the accessibility descriptions is formed for display in step <b>254</b>.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2D</figref> illustrates a method <b>260</b> for displaying information on a particular component object in the Java-based program. The program tree is obtained in step <b>262</b>. A root in the program tree is identified in step <b>264</b>. All objects in the program tree that can be derived back to the current root are determined in step <b>266</b>. From these objects that are rooted by the current root, the current component objects are identified in step <b>268</b>. For those objects identified in step <b>268</b>, the path from the root to the object is determined and stored in step <b>270</b>. Each of these paths is considered to be a reference chain containing a chain of references for the current component object extending to the root. If no objects were found in step <b>268</b> or after the paths are stored in step <b>270</b>, then it is determined if all roots in the program have been assessed in step <b>272</b>. If not all roots have been assessed then the next root is selected in step <b>274</b> and steps <b>266</b> to <b>272</b> are repeated with this next root. This process continues until all of the roots in the program tree have been examined.

After all roots in the program tree have been assessed as determined in step <b>272</b>, all of the paths are grouped in step <b>276</b> as a collection of reference chains from each of the roots to the current node. The collection of reference chains is formatted for display in step <b>278</b>. The name(s) of the other objects referring to the current object, the accessibility description and the component objects tree may also be displayed for the current component object.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates functional components of a tool <b>300</b> for testing accessibility of a Java-based program <b>302</b> operating in the computing environment of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The tool <b>300</b> has an program interface <b>304</b> for communication with the Java-based program <b>302</b>. The program interface <b>304</b> obtains information from the Java-based program <b>302</b> on the classes and objects from which the Java-based program <b>302</b> is composed.

The program interface <b>304</b> communicates with a tree parse mechanism <b>306</b>, an accessibility report mechanism <b>310</b>, a component display mechanism <b>312</b> and a test indication mechanism <b>314</b>. The tree parse mechanism <b>306</b> has a node location mechanism <b>308</b> to assist the tree parse mechanism <b>306</b> in traversing a tree (either the program tree or the component objects tree) and locating nodes in the tree. Nodes in the tree that are located are provided to either an accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b> or a component reference mechanism <b>316</b> depending on which of these two mechanism requested the tree traversal.

The testing indication mechanism <b>314</b> is in communication with the program interface <b>304</b> and the accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b>. Using nodes from the tree traversal supplied by the tree parse mechanism <b>306</b>, the accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b> test the accessibility of the component objects in the Java-based program <b>302</b>. The accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b> is in communication with an accessibility standard database <b>320</b> containing accessibility standards against which the component objects of the Java-based program <b>302</b> is compared. After testing is completed by the accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b>, any component objects that do not meet accessibility criteria as tested for by the accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b> are indicated as being such by the test indication mechanism <b>314</b>. Such an indication may include a visual indication that the component object did not meet the criteria.

The accessibility report mechanism <b>310</b> is also in communication with the accessibility testing mechanism <b>318</b>. The accessibility report mechanism <b>310</b> presents a summary of the test results.

The component display mechanism <b>312</b> is in communication with the component reference mechanism <b>316</b> to display information on a particular component object in the Java-based program <b>302</b>. The component reference mechanism <b>316</b> determined the objects in the program tree that are objects of the particular component class. The component display mechanism <b>312</b> displays the objects that are object of the particular component class as well as the referring class name, program tree, component objects tree and accessibility description.

It is apparent to one skilled in the art that numerous modifications and departures from the specific embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.